Means for supporting evaporators and vapor pipes thereof



J. w. LITTLE ET AL 2,543,322 MEANS FOR SUPPORTING EVAPORATORS AND VAPOR PIPES THEREOF Feb. 27, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 29, 1948 1N VEN TOR. JOHN W L T n. E

JOEL/9H W-A ELLE if: MTTOENE-Y J. W. LITTLE ET AL MEANS FOR SUPPORTING EVAPORATORS AND Feb. 27, 1951 VAPOR PIPES THEREOF 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 29, 1948 INVENTOR. Jam/W L/rma (/056Pl/ W A ALLE BY flrromvems the vapor heads ofeachunitis I .a r gl between the evoiaoifators 'aInd is whbil y supported from the vapor Iieidjs theieoffthereby making it possible ioffa .woi kinanitohave cces s to all sides of-the yapor'heads'elnd tolthe me e Patented Feb. 27, 1951 MEANS FOR SUPPORTING EVAPDRATORS AM? no? TEE FPQ a C J hn L t nd J s1 h..Yi-;- Kelk Birm n ha n, AIa as's'ignor's" t0 Goslin-Birmingham i e ic m z3 519; wsew feiiqee Mam Application Marph 29, 1948 Serial No. 17,666 fiieimfii-E59 01;; present invention relates to eyaporatoirjs, and. mor p t ula l t9 j t cal ube WWO tors, and ha for an object the provision of ignproved means. for supporting the moip body of the p ato t he wit improv mean for supporting the yap or. pipes thereof.

Another obj ectpf our invention is to. provide apparaf us Of the ehemaeter designated 1p which t e va o a r is whpl -sfi p rt d a its b t m on a, cylindrical base, the base exteg dipg ppyqardly from the bottom, of the van m or 0. 1; a short d tance. and Stoppin at a p b at h pgpper surfa ee. of the lower tube sheet, thereby l avi he. iar us manh les fi g an Pi bonneetions installed above the lower tube sheet qqssibl for mani ul ion b rva en o a ju m n An t e qbieq i t xqvicl the qpyi th supportipg base with q, pet ir of o'ligunotriczuly opp sed openin s th 9 912 6? Cable may be attaeheol to the reii iovdbl e Joottoi i oithe em wtqr r si r low n i t e S m when u r e i t fib r w h brack t iew t d 9K 1 e ofih vanqlfe vr bod bv e e of h 2191 @12'1 di posed to 92 n. w

u per 1 o the pm 9 cam wnemt h WWW ma e raise? o we d Wit ut. e e it of WQFk R l e ie i s be fie i ile ei iao to Anotheiobject of our inventiop is to. provide al w ys i meed at es es? l v i t Emi and al u po e i he'sid s h o ff-the upper of whioii Walkways ser've a lsof to .suppoft the Vapor pipes Qonii eoted to the evqioritor, whereby w he i pgem g' "or missing the "iiisii'al plate valves QOiitrOIIiiig 'the pipes, the lettef' a fe supported to theieiztent ithatidiiitiohel beinpo i r i i in??? he ei "ii PQ E PT E sary.

" further object of our invention is to provide a ppalratiis of the ehaltc tefdsig' 'alt'ed" sbeoilly adopted for use iri cohjimctio'ri i'tii other like imit the e y i f r rh li i ifnl efiwti li xb and wherein the upberrriost ,yvalk ay adjac'pt sposed around valves. controlling theiv'eipor pi es;

A still furthei ohjeetiof our? invention is to Inount .betwee'ti adjaoerit te'vapo 'atofsiaj ci'aile by means of which the 'coi eror some iomh'eivapor .h d m b rempv si th r' i eie fivqw y mounted soas to serve th gdj aoent evaporators.

A at llli i atinglt e ieai re f uti and. 1 se on 91 Q 9 th ey i teie 2 Ei i el yat nal mew of. plur of. yer ical tube embody n ou m en;

isanendfi em iwl peail iq se at t e end. Qf the reen. o ef e t? w th.

pla e; Fig 3 is a detail se iiqnal; V ew @39 e se-2. i e-1. 27 11 Q i 1. F is sectional 119W fi t-en 1. 9. 281 -V;. V. F -,1

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Likew se provided in the side o each body,

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Ea h .e apq a r is wh ll sunp lzted o an individua c l ndri a base .2 ,Eig-

The. .1321

22. eag has? 2.2 s ope n ard andnpwa dly t wa d the b i nd he j i qtare sesured iq qne by W d a ndicate a 2. a. anii mee by gusset la e .4 weld d t he. ou e obstructed. Each base 22 is provided with a pair of walk-in openings 26, of a size to permit a workman to enter beneath the lower end of the body, and each such opening is reinforced around its perimeter by means of a curved bar 21. The base 22 may be secured to a concrete floor 28 by means of the usual tie bolts 29, removably secured by nuts 3| to brackets or the like 32 welded to the bottom of the base, mounted on top of a ring 33, likewise welded to the bottom of the base 22.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 4, the upwardly sloping portion 23 at the top of the base 22 is provided with diametrically opposed openings 34. Welded to the body If), in vertical alignment with the openings 34 are brackets 36, each of which has an opening 31. As is understood, it is often necessary to remove the bottom 2 I, and we propose to accomplish this conveniently and safely by passing a rope or cable through each of the openings 34 and thence through the openings 3?, the lower end of the rope or cable being secured to suitable brackets 35 on the outer perimeter of the bottom 2|, thereby to lower and raise the same when required.

Extending alongside each of the series of evaporators are lower, intermediate, and upper walkways A, B and C, respectively. Each of the walkways is disposed at the correct elevation on the evaporators to afford access to the various manholes and gauges, and to the plate valves controlling the vapor pipes, later to be explained 'in detail, and are wholly supported from the evaporator bodies. The lower walkway A comprises a series of plates 38, laid end to end on top of a pair of channels 39. The channels are supported at intervals on horizontal members 4| welded at their inner ends in suitable manner to the base 22, and braced by knee braces 42. The outer edge of the walkway A is provided with a hand rail 43.

The intermediate walkway B comprises a series of plates 44, similar to the plates 38, and supner-ends to each body at a. point immediately be- -'low the vapor head I and braced by knee braces ;48-. outer edge of the walkway B.

A suitable handrail 49 is provided on the As best shown in Fig. 6, walkway C comprises a series of plates disposed about the domes |2 of the vapor heads I to form an octagonal platform, completely surrounding the upper end of each of the evaporators. The plates 5| are carried on a pair of channels 52, and the channels are supported by braces 53 and 54, spaced at intervals along the sides of and between the domes |2 of the several evaporators.

Connecting the vapor heads of adjacent evaporators is a stepped-diameter header pipe 56. In the header 56, adjacent a lateral conduit 5'! leadin thereto from each vapor dome, is a plate cutoff valve 58 of the usual type. A similar plate valve 59 is provided in each of the laterals 51. At the top of the body l6, beneath the lower end of each of the vapor heads H, is a pipe 6| leading to the header 56, and each of these pipes are provided with a plate valve 62. The arrangement of the header and pipes 5'! and 6|, together with the valves 58, 59, and 62 permit any one of the group of evaporators to be cut out of service when necessary. As will be understood, the plate valves are of the type connected by bolts, not shown, to flanges carried on the meeting ends of the pipe 4 in which they are installed. When closing or opening such a valve the bolts are removed, breaking the joint, and separating entirely the flanged ends of the pipe.

The header 56 is supported at intervals on vertical members 63 carried by the upper walkway C. As shown more clearly in Fig. '7, each of the vertical pipes 6| passes through an opening 64 provided therefor in the plates 44 of the walkway B. Each pipe BI is secured to the plate 44 by means of gusset plates 66 welded to the side of the pipe, and if desired welded to the upper surface of the plates. The entire assembly of vapor pipes for each effect is thus supported in fixed manner from the walkways B and C. Accordingly, when the bolts are removed preparatory to closing or opening plate Valves 58, 59 or 62, no further support for the pipes is required. With evaporators heretofore known to us, temporary supporting means for sections of the vapor pipes and header between valves were required whenever the joints were broken to open or close the valves. By our arrangement, however, the sections of pipe between the plate valves are made self-supporting by securing the same in the manner shown and described to the walkways B and C.

Mounted between alternate evaporators we provide a swinging crane 61 disposed to form means for lifting the dome |2 of the vapor head from the evaporators when necessary. As shown in Fig. 8, the crane comprises a vertical tubular mast 68 passing downwardly through an opening 69 in the plate 5| of walkway C. The lower end of the mast passes through an opening 7| provided in a bracket 12, secured in suitable manner to the sides of the vapor heads ll of adjacent effects. A collar 13 is welded to the mast 68 to hold the same at the correct elevation. The mast carries a boom 74, the free end of which is supported by a knee brace 16. The bracket 1'! is disposed on the end of the boom to lie directly over the bracket |4 carried by the dome l2 when the boom is swung thereover. The crane is thus pivotally mounted in the openings 69 and H whereby the boom may be swung over the vapor heads of adjacent effects.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that we have devised an improved support for the body and vapor tubes of evaporators. It is to be especially noted that the base 22 stops short of the upper surface of the lower tube sheet 20, and hence terminates below the manholes l9 and the various pipe connections and gauges usually placed on the lower ends of such units. These elements of the evaporator are thus left accessible for observation, or manipulation, and may be installed directly on the body l6 without the necessity of extending them through the supporting shell as has been the cas in some prior types of apparatus.

When it is desired to remove the bottom 2| from the evaporator, a rope or cable may be secured to the lugs 35 carried on the periphery of the bottomand passed upwardly through the holes 34 at the top of the base and through a block and tackle if desired. The block and tackle may be anchored to the brackets 36. The bottoms may thus be lowered and raised without the dangerous procedure of having workmen enter beneath the bottom 2| during the raising and lowering thereof.

It is to be noted that our invention is characterized by the absence of supporting columns either for the evaporator body itself or for the vapor pipes or walkways. It is to be noted that by terminating the cylindrical base adjacent the lower end of the body, instead of extending the same completely up the body, we obtain the additional advantage of being able to use a base of a diameter only slightly greater than the diameter of the body itself. Sizable quantities of material thus are saved, in addition to obtaining the advantages already pointed out. The walkways B and C serve additionally to support the header 56 and the vertical pipes 6| so that temporary means for holding the sections of pipe in place need not be used while the plate valves are being opened or closed. The provision of the cranes 61 permits a group of evaporators to be installed either indoors or outdoors without the necessity of providing overhead cranes for removing the domes when required.

While we have not shown the same, it will be understood that vertically disposed ladders or other means are provided for gaining access to the walkways A, B and C.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that we have devised an improved support for an evaporator body and for the vapor pipes thereof which is simple of construction, economical in required materials, and wholly effective for its intended purpose.

While we have shown our invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In an evaporator and the like embodying a vertically disposed cylindrical body having a lower tube sheet and a removable bottom, a cylindrical base for supporting the body, of larger diameter than the bottom, said base surrounding the body and secured thereto, said base terminating below the lower tube sheet, a pair of lugs carried on the side of the body above the base for supporting one end of each of a pair of cables, and means in the base beneath the lugs for passing the cables therethrough whereby the other ends thereof may be secured to the bottom for lowering and raising the same.

2. In an evaporator and the like embodying a vertically disposed cylindrical body havin a tube sheet adjacent the lower end of the body and a vapor head at the top of the body, the combination of a cylindrical base surrounding the lower end of the body and stopping short of the upper surface of the tube sheet, means to secure the lower end of the body to the upper end of the base, a pair of vertically spaced Walkways wholly supported from the top of the evaporator, vapor pipes extending upwardly from the body below the vapor head, a vapor pipe extending outwardly from the top of the vapor head, a header to which both of said vapor pipes connect plate valves in the vapor pipes and header, means to support the upwardly extending pipe from the lower of said walkways, and means to support the header from the uppermost of said walkways whereby all sections of said pipes are supported while said plate valves are being opened and closed.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which the means to support the upwardly extending pipe from the lower walkway of said pair comprises a horizontal plate, there being an opening in said plate through which the upwardly extending pipe passes, and plates secured to the side of said pipe and resting on top of the horizontal plate.

4. In apparatus of the character described embodying a group of vertically extending evaporators disposed side by side, each of which evaporators comprises a body and a vapor head at the top of the body, a cylindrical base surrounding the lower end only of each body, means to secure the lower end of the body to the upper end of the base, a walkway wholly supported from the body beneath the vapor heads and extending alongside said group of evaporators, an upper walkway wholly supported from the upper portion of the vapor heads of said evaporators, said upper walk- Way encircling each of the vapor heads of said evaporators, a vapor pipe for each evaporator connected to the body of each evaporator and extending vertically, a second vapor pipe projecting outwardly from the upper part of each vapor head, a header to which the vertical and second pipes of each evaporator are connected, means to support the vertical pipes from the lower of said walkways, and means to support the header from the uppermost walkway.

5. In an evaporator and the like embodying a vertically disposed cylindrical body having a tube sheet adjacent the lower end of the body and a removable bottom; a cylindrical base for supporting th evaporator, larger in diameter than the evaporator body and terminating below the upper surface of the tube sheet, an inwardly tapering frusto-conical top for the base provided with a central opening for passing the evaporator body therethrough, plates welded to the outer sides of the body and the top of the base for securing the same together, there being a pair of diametrically opposed openings in the top of said base giving access to said removable bottom, and a bracket on the sides of the body above each opening in the base for supporting said removable bottom when installing and removing it.

JOHN W. LITTLE. JOSEPH W. KELLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 478,395 Brewer July 5, 1892 621,167 Spiegel Mar. 14, 1899 675,104 Oberle May 28, 1901 708,066 Norris et al Sept. 2, 1902 946,238 Loomis Jan. 11, 1910 995,776 Dunn June 20, 1911 1,093,654 Schlueter Apr. 21, 1914 1,105,443 Lougher July 28, 1914 1,139,272 Griffin May 11, 1915 1,343,279 Reynolds June 15, 1920 1,488,531 Cruse Apr. 1, 1924 1,558,957 White Oct. 27, 1925 1,774,552 Hawley Sept. 2, 1930 1,776,437 Jones Sept. 23, 1930 2,048,308 Welter July 21, 1936 2,097,463 Magee Nov. 2, 1937 2,228,819 Emmet Jan. 14, 1941 2,307,915 Boardman Jan. 12, 1943 2,326,619 Carreras Aug. 10, 1943 2,333,078 Wallis et al. Oct. 26, 1943 2,390,167 Patrick et al. Dec. 4, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,997 Great Britain Nov. 19, 1914 

